I'd like to thank everyone for taking time to attend this press conference. As you know, this is my first season as head coach of the Shenandoah Hornets. What I'd like to do here is start out by introducing and saying some general things about each of this year's recruiting class, and then I'll field a few short questions from you wonderful folks in the press

-- James Rutz is a 6'0, 179-pound point guard from Our Lady of Sacred Heart HS in Coraopolis, PA. (49-50-15-46-1-10-38-37-42-47-71-2). When we sat down as a staff and analyzed our needs, one of the things that became immediately clear was that we needed to add another player at the point from this year's class, and Rutz fulfills that need. He averaged 20.1 points and 3.8 assists as a senior, but what we were struck by was the upside we felt he still had in his game. He's got incredibly high potential as a ball handler and what he can do down low, and as those two things develop to a college level, with his speed and athleticism, I think you'll see a very capable dual threat point who can slash to the bucket or distribute the rock.

--Matthew Trapp is a 6'4, 196 lb, shooting guard from Hamtramck, MI (41-51-29-42-14-10-28-26-15-62-69-31). Obviously, the first thing you notice about Matthew is that he's capable of playing the two or the three for us and creating some matchup issues potentially. In our press, his length could create some issues by getting his arms up in the passing lanes a little more than your standard-sized guard at this level. Like Rutz, we feel his ball handling has incredibly high potential. He's also a kid whose stamina will go through the roof. Combined with his work ethic, he's going to be one of those kids we have to drag off the floor and lock out of the gym.

--Charles Fisk is a 6'1", 178 lb. player from Denmark Olar HS in Denmark SC (35-50-24-37-9-47-25-41-25-25-50-41). We're calling him a small forward, which might raise some eyebrows, but when you see film and sit and watch this kid play -- wow! He plays like he's about six inches taller and he has huge potential with his low post game. He's someone we'll be able to send inside with the big boys and not have to worry about him holding his own. His stamina and passing also have incredibly high potential, so again we're talking about a player we can swing around between a two and a three, maybe even a one, and create some matchup issues.

And, with that, I'll field a few questions...you, in front here:

Being this is your first year, could you perhaps provide us with an idea of what you were looking for in players? Certainly. Obviously, when we came in, we looked at the roster and it immediately became clear that we were stocked at power forward and center, so we really didn't look there much. As we looked closer, we saw that to get where we want to be and to take that next step as a program, we needed to get faster. We needed to defend better, and these three guys will make an immediate impact in those areas because they already perform at a level that you'd see in the 25 or so fastest programs or the best defending programs here in Division 3. As an added bonus, all three are athletic and all three have shown that, for perimeter types, they won't shy away from getting in there, mixing it up and grabbing some rebounds, and at the end of the day, that makes us smile. Lets see...over there?

Who would you say is the star of this year's class?
Well, the first thing I'd say is that when you've been as down as we have been here in Hornet Nation, you don't get the sort of kids that are going to be that next D3 All-American. You get hard-working, blue collar kids that are going to head out there and bust it, day in and day out. That said, all three of these guys initially told us they were looking at D2 and we sold them on the vision we have here at Shenandoah.

No guess at all then?
I'd say as a staff, we're most excited to see how Fisk develops, because you don't often see a combination of his potentials for a kid that size. He's a kid we expect to play 10 min. a game or so this season as a freshman. I've got a special formula that I use to try and forecast where each of our players will be after four or five years and he's someone that I think could finish in the 575 range, which isn't too shabby for this level.

How did you get him?
Well, that was easy. I told Scott over here at a staff meeting that I needed him to fly to Denmark to scout a player, and Scott was all over that idea thinking he was getting some international miles on his frequent flyer account. I guess he didn't know there was a Denmark, South Carolina.

Will any of these guys redshirt?
Absolutely not. With their speed and the way they get after it on defense, we're going to throw the pumpkin in the air and let them get out there and get a feel for what college ball is all about. One last question -- over there?

I've heard that James Rutz has a peculiar pre-game ritual, could you tell us about it?
Yes, he does. In high school he would have his dad set up a ladder that he could walk under when he left the house -- he views it as stepping out into his arena, I guess. He always takes a counter-clockwise lap around a cemetery on his way to the gym and he buys a bunch of cheap hand mirrors so he can break one before every game...something about shattering the competition. On the floor if you watch him, he does everything in sets of 13 -- kid even asked us in recruiting if we could give him 13 for a jersey number. We joked with him and asked him if he wasn't worried about something happening due to all the bad luck he was courting and he just laughed and said being at a Catholic school took all those worries off his mind. So, that's the scoop on that...if he gets injured, I guess you'll have lots to write about.

Wellman, a JUCO guy with 3 remaining years of eligibility, only cost me 6 scouting trips and a scholarship offer, which was particularly good news given how much I had to spend on my other guys. Speed, LP, and passing are high-high, defense is low-high. Wellman is probably my 2nd candidate for a redshirt. To be honest, he doesn't really have much of a position right now. Until his passing improves, he can't really play PG, and he isn't a scorer, so I prefer not to start him at SG. Since he's the only recruit I didn't promise a start + minutes to, he probably has the highest probability of accepting a redshirt. He's also a "rides the bus" guy. Two years from now I see him as my starting point guard; he doesn't have the BH I usually look for in a PG, but he makes up for it with excellent speed, athleticism, and defense. Once he develops his LP a little he should be a decent slasher and can add a few points per game to his excellent perimeter D and adequate distributing skills. He was also a 73% FT shooter at Rockingham Community College.

Mortensen is one of 3 recruits for whom I battled metsmaniac2's Guilford team. It cost me over $5000 to land him, but I feel confident he'll be worth it. He brings excellent athleticism and low post to the table along with defense and rebounding that will become above-average. High-high in rebounding, LP, and BH. His stamina leaves a bit to be desired even with high potential. In 2 years I see him as at least a 2nd- or 3rd-team All-Conference Power Forward. In spite of a starting WE of only 32, starting from day 1 should let him be knocking on the door of his 60 ATH, 35 SPD, 90 LP, 40 BH minimum potentials by the end of his junior year. That should make him a tremendous offensive threat, and he'll likely lead the Monarchs in scoring at least twice in his career. He should be backing the offense up with adequate defense and solid work on the boards.

In spite of the thoughts of some USA South coaches, I see Evans as an excellent recruit. I spent over $5600 to lure him away from Guilford, but only after I had learned that he has high-high potentials in Speed, LP, Per, BH, and Pass. Combine that with his already adequate to above-average athleticism and defense and you have the makings of a truly dominant small forward, particularly useful for Methodist's pressing defense. I hope to redshirt Evans, which might be difficult given that I promised him a start and 20 minutes of playing time. He is a team player, so there's a chance he'll accept the RS; I certainly hope so, as I would love to give this talent some time to develop. I'm not sure where I see Evans in 2 years. He might be the starting SF or he may move to a guard position. His REB is unexceptional for a forward, and if his BH and Pass are very high he might be able to slot in as a starting guard. I only recruited one guard in this class, so there will be space if he grows into the job. If BH and Pass are at the low end of high-high potential he'll be a very fast SF. He should be a decent scorer with his balanced offensive skill set in either case, and will be an above-average defender wherever he plays. Evans is also going to earn me $5.

McCadams is the third of the three guys I battled Guilford for. I'm still not entirely certain how I won all three of the battles given that he had the same number of openings and probably comparable to slightly more postseason cash, but it worked out. I spent a little over $4400 on McCadams, which was probably a bit high, but I think he'll ultimately do enough to justify it. He's high-high in rebounding and perimeter. The biggest problem here is his stamina, which is going to keep his minutes limited throughout his career. His LP isn't exceptional, but with Mortensen dominating down low having a center who can shoot the ball a bit from outside - which his eventual improvements in PER and BH should allow him to do - is a good complement. The passing leaves something to be desired. In two years I see McCadams as my starting center and dominating the boards and the defensive end of the court. With caps around 70 ATH, 90+ Reb, and 80+ defense, he should be a truly exceptional rebounder and defensive presence.

My fifth and final recruit, Joseph Randall, was acquired for $140 of my last $144. His ratings and potentials suggest a blue-chip post prospect capable of succeeding on offense, defense, and on the boards. His 69% success rate at the charity stripe in his senior year of high school, hidden on this screen, further enhances his enormous potential. Unfortunately, the other hidden element is a very poor work ethic. Without the drive to work hard no player in D3 basketball attains elite status. Randall's athleticism, defense, and rebounding are good enough that even with a very slow rate of improvement he's a decent backup off the bench. Of course, the gorilla in the room is that he twice rejected promises of minutes, and I ultimately was only able to lure him to Methodist with the promise of a starting spot. The problem with this is that McCadams and Mortensen, true blue-chippers both, have also been promised starts and are far too talented to risk disappointing. I might be able to find Randall 8 or 10 starts against teams with dominant post scorers, but it will be no more than that. I can only cross my fingers that he decides to stick around. Of course, if he does stay but loses any of the little motivation he already has, it could cause him to totally stagnate talent-wise. In 2 years if he stays in Fayeteville I see him as a backup center who may or may not have become fast enough to also back up PF. He should still be a hard-nosed defender and a battler on the boards, but he'll likely never grow into the offensive weapon my coaching staff has seen he has the potential to become.

I only grabbed this milquetoast guard after dozens of others farted in my general direction...."your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries" was a familiar refrain...he'll be boring, average, and virtually useless.....at least he only cost me 1200 bucks.

got this guy for defense....basically just defense......hoping his WE will spur him to great heights......prolly not.......another middle of the road recruit

The cream of my crop....will be a passable big man after this year........

Hoping the WE of all these players helps......no scoring help this year.

I have no where near the time or creativity of rednu! Bravo to that nice post! Also can't figure out the posting of the pics so all you get from this computer dumba$$ is the basics. Overall a poor recruiting effort. This was the wrong cycle to need 5 guys and I managed my funds poorly. Will be a tough few seasons.

Graves - High potential in defense, perimeter, and passing. Already has a decent ballhandling but only moderate speed. Redshirting Possible

Barr - Has good potential at perimeter and ballhandling. Won't be much of a player for me I don't think.

Day - High passing potential. Ran out of money competing for the SG I really wanted. Didn't do a good job of using my money at all.

Quade - High potential in rebounding, defense, shot blocking, and low post. Not very athletic so the jury is still out on him. Redshirting possible

Dean - High potential at ballhandling and passing. Hoping he can step up by year 3 and be a decent player. Redshirting Possible